


Through The Storm

by CherryK



Category: Pandora Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Halloween prompt, M/M, blind!Break, it's not as bad as expected, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-24 00:26:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2561270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryK/pseuds/CherryK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>…in which the kids go out trick-or-treating, Reim doesn’t like thunderstorms at all and Xerxes’ motherly side shows, but actually they're both nervous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [breaks-candy-box (tumblr)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=breaks-candy-box+%28tumblr%29).



> Prompted by breaks-candy-box on tumblr: _One of them is scared of thunder and the other has to comfort them. (Xerx is blind?)_
> 
> I'm sorry, this is three days late due to plot problems (see end notes) ... >_

“It’s such a bizarre tradition, isn’t it? All the stupid children running about dressed as Chains, as if trying to mock the dead and damned… misbehaving and stealing people’s candy…” Xerxes looked grim, emphasizing his words with obscure gestures of his too-long sleeves. Reim chuckled softly. They had just left the dining room. After Oz had declared they would go trick-or-treating, things had become rather uncomfortable.

Alice had kept shouting across the room, demanding to be told what that was (“Is it edible? Answer me, manservant!”), Gilbert had repeatedly expressed his concern (“Going into town at night could be dangerous? Especially on Halloween! What if an illegal contractor shows up? What if someone gets hurt?”), which was followed by Oz laughing at the man (“Stop being such a spoilsport, Gil, you’re coming with us anyway!”). Then things had taken too long for impatient Alice and she had climbed up onto the table, desperately trying to get attention, and things had completely gone downhill when Sharon’s fan had almost hit Break in the head as she’d attempted to stop the riot, but knocked the fork with the last piece of cake on it out of his hand instead. Without a further word he had gotten up from the dining table, shoved Gilbert out of the way, who was currently blocking the doorway so Oz couldn’t leave, and let the door fall shut behind him with a crash. When Xerxes Break left through the door, it usually meant that he was irritated. Or worse. Thus, Reim had quietly excused himself and hurried after him, unnoticed by the quarrelling lot. He had managed to catch up to the fuming man in a dark corridor on the third floor that led to the library.

“They’re not stealing the candy, they _ask_ for it. And if they don’t get any, they play scary tricks on people.” Reim tried to put a tone of patience into his voice. It felt like they’d had this conversation before. He was answered with another wave of that white sleeve.

“It never gets boring for them either, does it? Huh, to think that a child would actually be able to scare anyone with one of those clumsily crafted self-made costumes! They ought to let me try instead; wouldn’t that be fun to watch?”

“I’m already trembling with terror, Xerx. An old, blind man like you would surely make a very convincing Chain.”

Xerxes ignored the comment _and_ the sarcasm in Reim’s voice, turning around to face him and somehow managing to stare directly into his eyes. “Oh, scaring _you_ would be the easiest of things, Reim-kun~”

“… I’m not scared of you, Xerxes. I thought we’d covered that topic.”

Reim was not even surprised when Xerxes began to laugh at him, as though he had said something utterly stupid. “Of couuurse you’re not! Don’t be so shy, Reim, admitting it doesn’t hurt~”

“I’m not!” Reim blurted, shoving the now grinning albino out of the way, and marched off towards his own quarters. Xerxes wasted no time and followed the sound of his footsteps. Pestering him like that could be so much _fun_!

“You are!”

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not!”

“You’re scared of me, Reim-kun~”

“I am not – and I repeat – _not_ scared of y-“

Reim suddenly fell silent and Xerxes walked right into him, not having expected him to stop so abruptly.

“Uh, Reim?”

No answer. Was he really that fed up with him now? Xerxes stood on his toe tips, resting his head on the other’s shoulder.

“Ne, Reim, what-“

Then he noticed that Reim was shivering violently. Xerxes took a breath to ask the obvious, but thunder broke the silence like a gunshot. Heavy raindrops started to pound against the high windows of the corridor. The taller man seemed frozen in place and it took Xerxes far too long to realize what was wrong. He _should_ have remembered that, my, my… He began to pull Reim towards the latter’s room, uttering encouraging words and trying to not accidentally steer him into anything. Walking blindly on one’s own was quite a bit easier than guiding somebody down the hallway.  
Upon arrival he pushed him down onto the couch, rushed to the fireplace and, in the process of hastily starting a fire, stirred up clouds of ashes which then idly settled on the carpet. He stood up, dusted himself off and moved to grab Reim’s favourite blanket from the wing chair to the right of the couch. He knew it was there because Reim always left it there. He liked to spend his very rare days off reading in that chair and Xerxes liked to throw candy wrappers at him until he would snap and shout at him. However, the Reim sitting on the couch now did not shout. He didn’t make any sound at all, actually. When Xerxes reached him and neatly tucked the blanket around his shoulders, he flinched slightly at the touch, but nodded his thanks ever so lightly a moment later. The albino plopped down next to him unceremoniously. In the rather awkward silence that ensued he waited for the trembling to stop.

… This wasn’t working, was it? No, not at all. Would he really have to go back to how he used to comfort Reim during storms like this one all those years ago? The now so awfully tall man had been a full head or two shorter than him back then, when he had wrapped not only him in a blanket, but also himself. Xerxes never had minded. If he was completely honest with himself, he would even go as far as to say that he had enjoyed those moments. Over the past years things had changed, though. Things had happened and _they_ had changed. Actually, they had changed quite a lot. Where he had been comfortable with getting close to Reim in the past, he was reluctant now. Not because he felt repelled, but because he found the hair on the back of his neck standing up and his nerves tingling at the mere thought of it. He was _nervous_.  
Still, he wouldn’t be Xerxes Break if he didn’t try jumping over his shadow, dismissing it all with a wave of his sleeve, and acting on pure instinct – the instinct that was currently telling him to crawl below the blanket with the still shivering man. Glancing at Reim sideways, Xerxes scooted over and drew half of the blanket across his own shoulders. He noticed a brief look of surprise crossing the other’s features, but he didn’t seem to disapprove, so he gently leaned against him.

It didn’t take long for Reim to calm down now. The trembling stopped and he didn’t seem so tense anymore. Still, Xerxes’ insides were churning like snakes and, for god’s sake, his heart wouldn’t stop beating like mad. He needed to keep a straight face; this was not supposed to happen, was it?

“Now, now, this hasn’t happened in a while, eh?” Light conversation to ease the mood. To the Abyss with the damned butterflies in his stomach.

“Well, it has, actually. It’s… you just don’t notice, since you’re always off to hunt illegal contractors.” Was that a tone of regret in his voice? Or was he starting to hear things now, too?  
“You’re hardly ever around these days. It’s not good for you to always rush like that… you should take a breath and stay here every once in a while.” He probably wasn’t hearing things; Reim’s hand had somehow found its way on top of Xerxes’, as though he was trying to keep him close.

“Huh,” was all the albino managed to respond with, casting silence upon them once again – until another flash of lightning, swiftly followed by roaring thunder, lit up the room. Reim cringed, clutching the hand more firmly.

“…You know, Xerx, I-I’d really appreciate it if you could stay some time. S-some time as in… tonight,” he mumbled, glad that the other was unable to see the blush heating up his cheeks.

Xerxes felt his heart leap. Things had gotten so… _weird_ between them. Not a bad kind of weird, but just… different. Something had shifted and it looked a lot like Reim was responding to it – whatever it truly was. Xerxes had never been good with feelings. He relied on whatever his heart, his now so hopelessly confused heart, would tell him to do. Before he could stop himself from doing so, he had brought his hands to the sides of Reim’s face, pulled him down and lightly brushed their lips together.

It was a chaste kiss and with his nerves on edge he pulled away again, already fearing the worst. He couldn’t see Reim’s expression. He couldn’t even hear him breathing. Was he holding his breath? Was that a good or a bad thing?

“X-xerx, I… That was…”

That was what? Wonderful? Disgusting? Oh, for god’s sake, just talk to me, Reim!

Blind eyes widened in surprise as he drew him in, keeping him close in a loving embrace, and for the first time in many years Xerxes Break felt like crying. He couldn’t explain why, he just felt… happy. Very much at ease and so, so _loved_. He clutched the back of Reim’s shirt and held on to him tightly.

When Reim let go of him he could practically feel his eyes on him. He couldn’t help but smile – one of his true, honest smiles, the ones he rarely ever showed.

“You know, Reim-kun, I just… might, really. Stay, I mean.”

He didn’t know where this was taking them, but when Reim’s lips met his for the second time he thought it might be just right. Xerxes made a mental note to himself to not be gone with the first ray of sunlight in the morning and wrapped the blanket more comfortably around his shoulders.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I feel like I went overboard with this. I had to change the plot several times, since I kept noticing things that just wouldn't work out, and I'm totally convinced that I missed something... but all in all, I think it's not so bad, even though it doesn't have much to do with Halloween anymore... Hope you enjoyed it anyway!


End file.
